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Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio
December 4, 2012
Volume 47
Issue 27
Matthew Duarte News Editor
news@paisano-online.com UTSA received an “A” grade on its core curriculum from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) according to its annual “What Will They Learn?” report. The university is one of just 21 schools to make the highest grade of over 1000 surveyed. The rankings, which have been compiled every year since 2009, aim to measure how well-rounded a school’s basic curriculum is and to give prospective students an additional tool to compare universities. To make an “A,” a university must offer six out of seven courses: composition, literature, foreign language, U.S. history or government, economics, mathematics and natural science. Of that list, UTSA requires students to take a course in all areas except foreign language. According to ACTA’s website, less than 14 percent of schools require a foreign language, while less than 20 percent require U.S. history or government. Less than five percent require an economics credit. ACTA’s mission statement noted that its goal is “to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus and ensure that the next generation receives a philosophically rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.” UTSA received an “A” in the report for the first time last year and is one of just four schools in Texas to achieve such a high rating, along with Baylor University, Texas A&M Corpus Christi
and the University of Dallas. No other school in the UT system made an “A.” More than 60 percent of schools received a “C” or lower in the report, meaning they offer three or fewer of the seven suggested courses. “Businesses are struggling to find employees with the skills to succeed in today’s high-tech and dynamic global economy,” said John Engler, former governor of Michigan and president of the Business Roundtable, in an ACTA press release. “Those abilities are built upon a foundation of math and science, but they also depend on students acquiring a wide range of general knowledge – including the ability to think and communicate clearly.” John Frederick, UTSA provost and vice president of academic affairs, believes that the rating serves as evidence that the school is ahead of the curve in ensuring that students are ready to enter the work force. “UTSA is committed to shaping broad-minded global citizens who are prepared to think critically and, in turn, have a greater competitive edge in the job market,” said Frederick, according to UTSA Today. Although UTSA has now received ACTA’s highest rating for the second consecutive year, it has already begun to shift away from its current core curriculum, a process that is the result of the state of Texas’ reworking of the requirements for core curriculums in all public colleges and universities in the state. As Associate Vice Provost Nancy Martin pointed out, “in the state of Texas, the structure for the core is mandated by the state legislature.” According to UTSA’s website, the Freshman Experience Task Force was charged with simplifying “the freshman year academic experience, to ease
Courtesy of Charles Miles
UTSA ranked in top two percent for core curriculum
Of 1071 schools surveyed, only 21 received an “A” grade for its core curriculum.
students’ transition to college while introducing them to the rigors of collegelevel coursework.” Working under the recommendation of Provost Frederick, the Task Force had suggested that, of the current core curriculum, only a math class and composition courses were “absolutely fundamental to success in a student’s curriculum, regardless of their chosen major.” Martin, who oversees UTSA’s core curriculum, explained to The Paisano in an interview last month how the task force’s recommendations would
reshape UTSA’s core curriculum. “In the current catalog, we have the World Society and Issues component and that’s gone away,” Martin explained. “Economics would be an option in the core,” she said, compared to being a requirement as it is now. Although the new core would restructure the freshman experience by removing certain classes from a student’s degree plan, it also seeks to make the transition to college more bearable for freshmen. The Task Force’s report suggested a new class—dubbed
an Academic Inquiry Course—which would “provide institutional support and academic challenge” and provide students with “an environment where quality faculty-student relationships can develop.” As Martin stated, “The general purpose of that course is to introduce students to the university.” Martin explain ed that the Academic Inquiry Course is being designed to highlight the differences between high school and college and would particularly emphasize that See CURRICULUM, Page 2
UT Board of Regents save $5 mil ion Stephanie Barbosa Contributing Writer
Natalie Frels / The Paisano
news@paisano-online.com
San Antonio Northside ISD’s “Student Locator Project” is intended to manage attendance reporting.
T r a c k i n g c h i p s e m b e d d e d in Northside ISD student IDs Jonathan Pillow Intern
news@paisano-online.com Northside Independent School District (NISD) is facing legal consequences following the implementation of the “Student Locator Project.” The project requires students at John Jay High School and Anson Jones Middle School to wear an embedded radiofrequency identification (RFID) chip found in all student ID cards during school hours. A federal court is considering hearing a case against the school
district filed by Andrea Hernandez, a student from John Jay High School. Hernandez equates the ID cards to the biblical “mark of the beast” from the book of Revelation and refuses to wear it. The district attempted to have Hernandez transferred from her magnet school to another high school, but her parents requested a temporary injunction from the state court to keep her at John Jay. According to a NISD statement, “Since the Jay High School student and her father are alleging a violation of the student’s federal constitutional
rights, Northside ISD asked that the case be heard in federal court. The case that was scheduled to be heard in state court has been canceled and will now rest with a federal judge to make a ruling. Heather Fazio of Texans for Accountable Government commented on the religious aspect of the case, saying, “This program and the expressed consequences with not falling in line with it have created a chilling effect in these schools in making them afraid to stand See NORTHSIDE, Page 2
On Nov. 15, the UT System Board of Regents approved a $102.4 million plan to consolidate their five existing administration buildings into one, new 16-level building in downtown Austin, Texas. This cost-effective plan is expected to yield up to $5 million in savings per year. These savings will be used to fund student programs throughout the 15 UT System institutions as a part of Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa’s newly established Framework for Advancing Excellence plan. According to a recent progress report from the Framework for Advancing Excellence action plan, the UT System put together a team of experts to review space-utilization and efficiency strategies. At the last regents meeting, Cigarroa said, “Several locations in the Austin area were considered for a new building, as were several different construction scenarios and the possibility of leasing existing space.” The current occupied buildings cost about $4.8 million to operate annually. The new building will be more efficient, costing approximately $2.1 million to operate annually, regents said. The plan for a single building promises to not only save money, but to also improve effectiveness and communication across all UT System departments. The building location will be in close
proximity to the Texas Capitol and public transportation. “After taking all of the data and staff feedback into consideration, the construction of a single building on the existing UT System land to house all of our business units made the most sense financially and organizationally,” said Cigarroa. Of all the five existing office buildings, the Colorado and Lavaca buildings will be demolished and the three remaining buildings – O. Henry Hall, Ashbel Smith Hall and Claudia Taylor Johnson Hall – will be available to lease once the new building is occupied. The 16-level building, one level of which will be underground, will contain enough garage space to house up to 700 cars and will include 258,500 square feet to facilitate office space, conference and board rooms and eating spaces. Further infrastructure and design plans will be reviewed at a regents’ meeting in early 2013. The demolition of the Colorado and Lavaca buildings will commence next fall. The construction of the building, which is due for completion in 2016, will be funded with Revenue Financing System Bonds and will not be appropriated from tuition costs. “This project is perfectly aligned with the productivity and efficiency goals of our Framework for Advancing Excellence and the savings will directly benefit our students,” Regents Chairman Gene Powell said. “This is a win-win opportunity for our students, institutions, the UT System and the city of Austin.”